Kölner Dom

I live about an hour away from Köln, a large and liberal city known for housing the Kölner Dom, otherwise known as the Cologne Cathedral. We took a day trip into the city where I was able to bear witness to this awe inspiring architectural monument.

As soon as we rounded the corner, the twin spires of the Dom sucked me in. The utter complexity of the building left me overwhelmed, it was too much to take in. Focus on the height, remember how the atmosphere interfered with its clarity. The color, blackend with age. 600 years between it's birth and completion, 760 years of bearing witness to wars and suffering, growth and revolution. Have I ever been presented before something so old and so wise?

For the first time in my adult life, I stood before something not knowing how to comprehend its magnificence. The Cathedral conveyed another language altogether, speaking of history and triumph, longevity and preservation. I strained my ears to listen, begged my mind to comprehend. Take it in, take it in, take it in.


The main entrance was lined with stone statues serving as a mere embellishment to the whole. They were astounding on their own! Like stoic guardians, they watched as every man entered their domain. Large blank eyes, all the better the see me with.

The inside of the Dom was lined with extremely large and intricate stained glass windows, each one telling a different story in turn as the sun rose and later set. Despite the gloomy day, these windows let light in from all corners of the cathedral, telling their stories yet again for another full church.

I couldn't stand their long enough, I wanted my eyes to linger over every detail, to remember every pane. The air felt different just because it was air housed in history. The three wise men, were they to spring to life from their golden sarcophagi, would share the same air with me. I was on pilgrimage.